


ST3x02:  Re-shoot

by snowzone5



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Kissing, Mileven, Mistakes, ST3x02
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:55:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29025339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowzone5/pseuds/snowzone5
Summary: Redoing ST3 Ep. 2This was  a request. Ordinarily I wouldn't do it, but I had something  fairly similar so I put my own take on the whole scene again.
Relationships: Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	ST3x02:  Re-shoot

Mike saw El and dropped his bike. The Party had gone to the mall in the futile attempt to shop for a present for El. Even if he found something he knew it would be an empty gesture. What was he going to get for three-fifty that had any serious sentimental value? Nothing. Nothing he could think of off hand anyway.

_ Shit, this is going to be bad. Hell with it. I’ll just tell her the truth. Friends don’t lie. _

“Max, you know she’s not allowed to be here.”

“What is she your little pet?” Max said smirking.

El didn’t seem to hear that. Mike was pissed off, “Is Lucas  _ your pet?”  _ he fired back to Max.

“Am  _ I your _ pet?” El said.

“What? No, you’re the girl I love. I’m trying to keep you safe.”

“Then why do you treat me like garbage?”

“What?”

“You said Nana was sick? Why do you lie”

Mike looked down and nodded. “It was the only thing I could think of. Your dad doesn’t want us to see as much of each other. If I wanted to date you I had to think of something. It backfired.” 

El looked back at Max, then back to Mike. “I dump your ass!”

Mike looked at Max. “Between you and Hopper it’s been like pissing into the wind trying to keep El safe and happy. It’s not working and to tell you the truth, I’m tired of tasting my own pee. Thanks Max. You got what you wanted.”

Mike left his bike where it was and walked away.

Lucas came up to El, “Not cool El. The year you were gone, Mike was a mess. Ask anybody. You can also ask them who loves your more than anything. He does  _ not _ treat you like garbage. He treats you like you are the world to him..” He looked at Max, “What did I tell you our most important rule was? Friends Don’t Lie.” He turned back to El. “If Mike had to lie he had a damn good reason… he would never lie to you otherwise.” He looked back to Max. “You know what Max? I dump  _ your _ ass. Have fun shopping you two.”

Lucas walked away also, but he took his bike.

  
  


XXXXX

At first El was proud that she had stood up for herself. She didn’t quite expect Mike to admit he lied to her, and she didn’t really like his reason either. Her dad? Max? Suddenly her ice cream became tasteless and she threw it in the garbage. She didn’t feel good about talking that way to Mike, but she went shopping with Max anyway. She’d go over to his house tonight, kiss and hug him. He’d be fine after that.

Max wasn’t fine. She was glum and at one point sat on a bench in the mall and started crying. “Max, what’s wrong?”

“Lucas broke up with me.” She said sobbing.

“You break up with him all the time. He always comes back.”

“He broke up with  _ me _ , El. I can tell he’s super pissed off with me right now.”

“Is it because Mike lied?”

“El, his lie wasn’t that bad. He only did it because he loves you.”

“I thought you said that boyfriends always lie? Which is it Max?”

Max sighed. “You know that Mike would never hurt you on purpose. Your dad must have really lit into him if he said that his grandmother was sick. I guess I was just happy that you came to me for advice… we haven’t exactly gotten along. ” Max hung her head.

El was starting to think that Max had been even lonelier than she had. She also remembered her dad sitting across from Mike and El on her bed telling Mike that there was something wrong with MIke’s grandmother.

Things were starting to make sense now. Her  _ dad _ had lied to both of them. El was getting mad. Lights flickered all over the mall.

Max looked around scared, “Don’t do it El, calm down. Maybe Mike was right. I probably shouldn’t have brought you here. I’m not having fun anymore. That was the point of going out shopping together.”

El was sure that Max realized that Lucas really did love her. She really didn’t like it when her friends were sad. It made her sad too. She felt even sadder when she knew her and her dad would have a bad fight tonight when she confronted him.

She wasn’t looking forward to it at all.

XXXXX

Mike was still pissed off and Hopper and Max when he heard a knock on the door. He went to open it and saw El standing there. She smiled brightly, looked at him with those eyes that could make him do anything. “I brought your bike back.”

“Thanks. You can lean it against the side.” He closed the door. He wasn’t in the mood. 

He usually found her naivety heartwarming, it made him want to protect her even more. She was being manipulated and apparently her feelings toward him weren’t enough to overcome what everyone was telling her.

There was another knock. El was still standing there, but not smiling this time. She looked confused. “You aren’t going to let me in? We can kiss.” She said coyly.

“No. We can’t kiss. You dumped me. Max’s little show over. Obviously I can’t stop you from coming in, but I would have to explain the busted down door to my parents.”

“Lucas dumped Max.” El said, looking down. “Neither of us have boyfriends now.”

“Wasn’t my choice El. I would never make you choose between your dad or your friends and me. Sorry.” He closed the door again.

He wasn’t pissed off anymore. He felt a growing depression

_ She doesn’t  _ really _ understand the subtle nuances of relationships. Not that I do either, but at least I know this much. This sucks. _

There was going to be a bad storm in Hawkins tonight. Mike wouldn’t be able to comfort El. She hated the sound of thunder.

Mike felt restless. He missed El. He  _ really _ missed El. It was starting to sink in maybe their relationship was truly finished. Or even their friendship. Ordinarily at this time of night he’d be sitting with El sneaking kisses on her bed, trying not to get caught by her dad. Which is exactly what had caused his current situation. Max wasn’t helping either. She had found the perfect opportunity to get back at him. The whole thing just sucked.

The phone rang and Mike went over to pick it up. He recognized the voice of Hopper right away.

“Is my daughter there?”

“No, she dumped me. We aren’t dating anymore, you and Max got what you wanted. Next time you want to talk to me, it should be police business.” Mike hung up.

He had barely hung up the phone when he burst into tears. 

_ I got dumped by the only girl I’m ever going to love. I miss her so much already, it’s only been a few hours. She’s got no one to help her through the storm and… What? Wait! Why is Hopper calling here? She should be at the cabin by now, hours ago. Did she not go home? Where is she then? _

Mike gathered his flashlight backpack with Supercomm in it, and his raincoat.

He rushed to open the door and get on his bike.

El was standing there, still wearing that cute blue floral short pants thingie, whatever it was called. Girls instinctively knew what all the different clothes were called. Mike, not so much. But she was soaked through to the skin, her hair was plastered to her head. Even with the rain Mike could see she had been crying hard. “Dad and I had a really big fight. The worst yet. I ran away.”

She cringed as lightning and thunder crashed, Mike pulled her in out of the rain. He couldn’t help himself, he gave her a tight hug. “Let’s get you dried off and into some warm clothes.” 

He led her to the bathroom, and to the laundry basket, he handed her track pants and sweater. They might have even been the same ones. He closed the door mostly, so she could have privacy, but kept it just open a little. El smiled through her tears, remembering the first time he did this for her..

  
  


XXXXX

  
  


She dried off, and came out to see that Mike was putting together the finishing touches… on her blanket fort. The tears started again. She missed Mike so much. Now she missed her Dad. Everything was going wrong! 

She moved to sit in the blanket fort. Pulling a blanket over her shoulders to get warmer. 

The phone rang.

  
  


XXXXX

  
  


“Just tell me my daughter is safe, and can stay there for a bit.”

“I’ll take care of her.” Mike said. Hopper almost sounded like he’d been crying also.

“Your dad is worried about you.” Mike said after he hung up.

“I know.” She didn’t look at him.

“You can stay in the blanket fort as long as you want. My parents and baby Holly went to see my… um grandmother. Who’s not really sick.” Mike gave her a weak smile.

“How do I get to be your girlfriend again Mike? I want to be with you… forever. Not having someone love you is the worst thing in the world. I hate it. I want to be loved again. I know why you… lied… Dustin said those kinds of lies were _white_ _lies_. You used those kind so you didn’t hurt the people you loved… you… you love me?” MIke nodded.

“Your dad will always love you… and Eleven… I will too... I thought my life was over when you dumped me today.”

“I’m sorry Mike. I know you don’t treat me like garbage. I was just trying to impress Max with how independent I thought I was.”

“You  _ are _ independent El. You went to Chicago by yourself. I’m not even sure I’d do that. You speak your mind… you, you are my girlfriend El. Let’s never do that again ok? It hurts too much.”

El smiled, nodding. Mike leaned in and gave her a soft kiss. “I missed that.”

“Me too,” Mike said. “Um, we still have the same problem… about your dad.”

El shook her head. “He doesn’t want to lose me either… we had a very adult conversation about you and I, Mike. I know what his worries are. Then we started yelling at each other, then I ran away. He just needs a few days.”

“I don’t think Dad’s ever get over it, El. They just accept it. We should respect that. We’ve not been very respectful. I mean, I like to kiss you all the time, but we can tone it down a bit. We can go to the quarry, or the bus, and kiss until our lips fall off.”

El giggled. Mike loved to see her smile, especially when it made it to her eyes. Another crack of lightning and El’s smile was gone again as she cringed even more.

“Let’s snuggle in the sleeping bag” Mike said.

“As long as I have you Mike, we can get through anything.”


End file.
